Human-wildlife conflict

As humans relentlessly encroach into the Earth's last remaining wild places, people and wildlife are increasingly competing for living space and food. As discussed earlier, tigers are suffering not only from significant loss of habitat but also from a decline in their prey species.

As a result, more and more tigers are forced to search for food among the domestic livestock upon which many communities depend heavily for their livelihood. However, when livestock predation occurs, tigers are persecuted, captured or killed in retaliation.

Sometimes livestock carcases are baited in order to poison the tiger when it returns to its kill. Tiger prey species are also killed by villagers, which further exacerbates the problem. These conflicts are not only one of the biggest threats to the world's remaining tigers, but also a major problem for communities living in or near tiger habitat: tiger attacks on humans are on the increase.

Working out a way to coexist
WWF is committed to working with these communities to find solutions which will allow man and beast them to live in harmony. Many projects to mitigate human-tiger conflicts have been established by WWF and other conservation organisations in partnership with governments throughout Asia.

To increase the conservation impact, programmes are normally developed in critical tiger habitats such as around a protected area or in a corridor.

Compensation schemes and alternate livelihoods
The simplest mitigation measures involve setting up compensation schemes to reimburse villagers who have lost livestock to tigers - but of course it is also important to address the root cause of conflicts.

For example, WWF is currently working to change livestock management to prevent tiger kills, and to provide alternative livelihoods to local communities. This will reduce their dependence on forest resources, which in turn will decrease the likelihood of tiger attacks on them. Several crop protection initiatives are also in place.

Active participation sought from all stakeholders
A common theme running through most of these programmes is the necessity for all stakeholders - most essentially the affected communities - to participate fully. Ideally, over the long term, they will take on increasing levels of control over the programme, so that it becomes as internally regulated and self-sustaining as possible.